Admissions

Please contact the Admissions Office with any specific questions you may have as you complete your application. (ysd.admissions@yale.edu or 203.432.1507)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who may apply to Yale School of Drama?

Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional conservatory offering advanced training in every theatrical discipline of the art form. High school seniors are not eligible to apply for admission to the School of Drama. Applicants seeking undergraduate studies should visit Yale College admissions at www.yale.edu/admissions.

What are the application deadlines?

Admission to Yale School of Drama is only for full-time graduate study beginning in the fall term. There is no rolling admission. There is no summer session. Transfer or part-time students are not accepted. The School of Drama Admissions Committee carefully evaluates all applications, and admission decisions are determined on or before April 1. Please refer to each department’s more detailed requirements.

February 15, 2019: Financial Aid applications for U.S. citizens and international applicants.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test

Must be taken by December 31, 2018 by applicants to Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism

Must be taken by January 15, 2019 by applicants to Stage Management, Technical Design and Production, and Theater Management

School code: 3988

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Must be taken by December 31, 2018 by applicants to programs with December 2018 or January 2019 application deadlines

Must be taken by January 15, 2019 by applicants to programs with Febrary 2019 application deadline

Required of an applicant whose first language is not English

IELTS scores are NOT accepted

School code: 3988

What is the application process?

Application for admission to Yale School of Drama is an online process (there is no paper application). You may create an account and access the online application by visiting: apply.drama.yale.edu. Applications open annually on September 1.

You may enter and exit as often as you need in order to complete your application. When you are ready to submit your completed application, you will be prompted to pay the application fee with a credit card.

You may submit your application before your recommenders submit their letters of recommendation. You will NOT receive an error message.

After submitting your application, you may print a PDF copy for your records.

What are the application fees?

When you are ready to submit (select the submit button) you will be prompted to pay the application fee with a credit card:

$110: Fee for MFA, Certificate in Drama, Special Student and Special Research Fellow

$50: Fee for one-year Technical Internship Certificate

To request a financial need based application fee waiver please download a Request for Application Fee Waiver form. All fee waiver applications must be completed and received by the Admissions Office ten (10) business days prior to your department deadline. We will do our best to review and respond to your fee waiver application within a week of receiving it.

May I request that a printed copy of the Admissions Brochure be mailed to me?

Reapplicants may import prior recommendations to their 2019 application.

All Reapplicants Submit: online application for 2019; application fee, current resumé, transcript if different from prior year; one (1) new letter of recommendation. Statement of Purpose may be amended.

Please provide a statement of purpose that should not exceed three pages. An applicant may address why a life in the theater, why Yale School of Drama, current training and skills, or what this program of study offers in terms of developing an applicant’s artistry and craft.
Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism:
A personal statement (not more than 1000 words). Please tell us what your professional goals are and why you’re applying to this program (as opposed to other disciplines and degrees). How have your experiences in the field led you to consider an MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism? You should also identify your particular areas of interest in contemporary theater and critical influences on your work to date.

How do Acting applicants schedule an audition?

Once an acting applicant submits an application and pays the application fee, the application should review their application status page. On the Application Status page go to the “Forms” section and click the hyperlink "Acting Audition Location Selection." This is the web form to self-schedule an acting audition in Chicago, New Haven, or San Francisco. Follow the additional system prompts to select date and time. The Admissions Office emails a confirmation of audition city, date and time to each scheduled acting applicant as the audition dates approach.

Yale School of Drama is not a member of U/RTA. The Committee does not audition in New York City.

The online self-scheduling feature is closed at least five days before the actual audition dates in each city. Acting applicants, who need to reschedule after the close, must call the Admissions Office (203.432.1507) to reschedule. Please refer to Acting FAQ's for additional information.

HOW DO DESIGN APPLICANTS (SET, LIGHTING, PROJECTION) SCHEDULE AN IN-PERSON NEW HAVEN INTERVIEW?

Applicants to set, lighting and projection should contact the Design department directly (203.432.1579; kate.begley@yale.edu) to self-schedule an in person portfolio review with the faculty. The application must be complete at the time of the interview. Interviews are scheduled only at the School of Drama in January, February, and March.

Set and lighting portfolios are not submitted digitally through the online application process. An applicant who has scheduled an in-person review in New Haven brings their portfolio to their self-scheduled interview. Please refer to the Application Requirements page for instructions on preparing your portfolio.

Only a set or lighting applicant, who is unable to schedule an in-person interview, mails their portfolio by March 12, 2019 to the Design Department, Yale School of Drama, PO Box 208244, New Haven CT 06520.

CostumeA costume design portfolio is submitted digitally through the online application process. If an applicant is unable to submit their portfolio electronically, the portfolio must be mailed by February 1, 2019 to the Design Department, Yale School of Drama, PO Box 208244, New Haven CT 06520. Please refer to the Application Requirements page for instructions on preparing your portfolio.

After the committee completes reviewing costume design applications, qualified applicants are contacted by the end of February to schedule an interview. A written evaluation will be sent to those not invited to interview if requested by the applicant.

Sound DesignSound Design portfolios are submitted digitally through the online application process. No copy needs to be mailed. Please refer to the Application Requirements page for instructions on preparing your portfolio.

HOW DOES A RECOMMENDER SUBMIT A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION?

You must create an online application account. First, you must enter basic biographical information as well as your department of proposed study.

Enter your recommender's information including his/her own email address and indicate: To be submitted electronically, by the recommender.

If your recommender is absolutely unable to submit a letter electronically, you may print the recommendation form to be mailed.

WHAT EMAIL ADDRESS SHOULD I USE FOR MY RECOMMENDER?

When you identify a recommendation provider within your online application, and indicate they are submitting a recommendation online, an email is initiated from the online application system. The email is not sent by the School of Drama Admissions Office.

If a recommender has any spam blocking or other software intended to filter out certain email, they may not even see this email. Use your recommender's institutional or corporate email address, if available. Submissions from anonymous email addresses (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo) may be subject to additional review.

WHAT INSTRUCTIONS DOES MY RECOMMENDER RECEIVE?

This is the body of the email that the online system sends directly to your recommender:
Dear [Recommender Name]:

[Your name] has requested that you write a letter of recommendation to Yale School of Drama on their behalf. In an effort to make this process as easy as possible for you, we offer the ability to complete your recommendation on-line through our secure website.

Your recommender receives an electronic acknowledgement through the online system. Your online application status page is updated when a recommender submits their letter.

MAY I SUBMIT MORE THAN THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION?

The Admissions Committee appreciates reviewing only three letters.

WHAT ARE THE DRAMATURGY AND DRAMATIC CRITICISM WRITING SAMPLE REQUIREMENTS?

Two samples of critical writing (excluding fiction, poetry, plays, and translations) about theater or drama must be submitted. The combined length of these essays should not exceed 10 pages (2,500 words.) One of the two writing samples must be a critical piece of no more than 1,000 words in length written especially for this application. The subject of this short essay can be a play, production, or theater artist — director, playwright, actor, or designer.

HOW DO DRAMATURGY AND DRAMATIC CRITICISM APPLICANTS SUBMIT THEIR WRITING SAMPLES?

Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism applicants submit two critical essays digitally through the online application system. Applicants do not mail originals to the School of Drama Admissions Office.

Applicants to the Playwriting department submit one original full-length play or two original one acts digitally through the online application. The length of the full-length play should not exceed 100 pages. The combined total of two original one acts should not exceed 100 pages.

Once you begin the process of preparing your online application you can log on at any time to check the status of electronically submitted documents. Receipt of materials submitted by mail is posted to your online application status page. Please allow the Admissions Office ample amount of time when checking the receipt of mailed materials.

WHEN WILL ADMISSION DECISIONS BE ANNOUNCED?

Decisions are made by early April. Each department chair contacts those who are offered admission. Letters regarding admission status are released through the online application. The applicant receives an email announcing that an update has been made to their application.

MAY I DEFER MY ADMISSION?

Yale School of Drama does not grant admission deferments for any of the programs because of the nature of the advanced conservatory training program.